Never Quit

Never Quit

One thing that neither Tom Landry nor Bear Bryant tolerated was having quitters on their teams. I don’t know about you, but I know that these men wouldn’t have allowed me to stay on their teams, because at various times in my life, I have given up. I know what quitting feels like.

Bear Bryant once said, “Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don’t quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don’t quit until you reach it. Never quit.” I’m concerned that we have too many men quitting their most fundamental roles as husbands, fathers, and providers.

No matter what country I travel to, when I ask about the struggles of the communities there, every time, I get a report back that says the men have walked out on their families. I have heard this in Cuba, in Honduras, in Latvia, in the Dominican Republic, in Greece, and beyond. In every part of the world where society is breaking down, the breakdown can be traced directly to the fact that men quit on their most fundamental roles.

Maybe you’ve quit on your marriage, quit on your kids, quit on your job, or quit on God. Let me remind you that quitters fail every time. There’s a way out and quitting is reversible. Malachi 4:5-6 states, “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

If you found the quitter in you and you don’t like that guy, turn to the Lord and ask him to help you repair this quality in your character. Repent and return to the fundamentals of love, nurturing, and provision that you are called to carry out. May the Lord return the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers!

Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.

Malachi 4:5-6